once upon A time
by VivianDarkbloomFlower
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Princess and a handsome Prince who were very much in love. Until Toby was -A and broke Spencer's heart. 5 years and two very unexpected kids later, Spencer, Hanna, ad Caleb live in a small apartment in Washington DC. Toby and the rest of the girls are still looking. Is this the end, or can there be a Happily ever after after all?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Since I do 3 stories at a time, I'm starting this as I finished Alex 2.0. Hopefully everybody likes it! Read and review, and have a great time doing so!**

 **-Vivian**

Spencer's POV

He is –A. My safe place to land, my rock, everything that held me together, is –A. Toby is –A. I look at the picture of us in my yard, laughing at something Hanna said, me on his shoulders. Was that a lie, too?

I put down the picture, and look at the object that has the greater part of my attention, that changes my life forever. Then I pick up my phone. "Hanna. I know you're pregnant and running away with Caleb. Don't ask me how, just do. And I'm coming with you." I say. I found a file that Toby dropped, probably on his way to give to Mona. It had everything about their situation. I burnt it. "Spence, you can't tell anybody, please- wait, what?! Why do you want to come?" Han asks. I take a deep breath. "Because Toby is the one who is helping Mona, and I'm pregnant with his baby." I say.

Hanna's POV

"Caleb, Spence is coming with us." I say casually after talking with Spencer for an hour. He nearly drops the pot he's holding. "Hanna, you told? Why?" He asks. I roll my eyes. "I didn't tell. She knew on her own, and I can't tell you how. She's also pregnant, but Toby skipped town after she found out about something he did." I say. Caleb looks confused. "What did Toby do?" he asks. Ugh. Way to open your mouth, Hanna.

"I… can't tell you that, either! We're meeting her behind her house in the morning. She's bringing her trust fund." I say. He shrugs, then nods. I smile in victory. Rubbing my stomach.

Spencer's POV

I crouch behind the bushes in my house. I have a suitcase full of money, clothes, and anything else I need, along with a bag of food, because Hanna and Caleb probably forgot to pack any for the drive to… wherever we're going. The letter to my parents and sister on the counter explains just enough… that somebody betrayed me in a big way, and I couldn't do it anymore. A car pulls up, Hanna gesturing wildly from the front seat. I roll my eyes, and Caleb grabs my suitcase, putting it in the trunk.

I get in the back seat, and Hanna hands me a burner phone. I smile at her, thinking of the texts I sent from my old phone. To Em and Ar, "I'm sorry. I love you guys like sisters. Remember that." And to Toby, "I don't know why you did it, but I need to get out of here. Even if you don't love me back, I will always love you. Goodbye." I sigh, leaning my head against the back of the seat, and the car pulls away from my house.

Leaving my life behind.

5 years later

"Mommy! Look what Auntie Hanna got me!" My four year old squeals. I pick her up as she runs into the apartment, laughing. "What did she get you, Ari?" I ask. Her first name is Ariana, a tribute to Aria. Her second name is Marion. Hanna named her daughter Emma Addison, after our other two friends. We're not blind. We watch the news. Everything with –A stopped around a year after we left, and Alison came back. But the names felt right all the same.

Ariana holds up an American Girl doll. I sigh. We all played with them when we were little. "Well, Ari, where is she going to sleep? Your room is already filled with dolls, yours and Em's." I say. They share a room, as they act like sisters, even though they're not technically related. Emma comes in, carrying a very similar doll. I laugh. All of their toys are matching, as well. Emma has blonde hair going to her shoulders, and bright blue eyes. Ariana is the opposite, with brown hair, which she keeps as long as possible, and brown eyes.

She pouts. Then her face lights up. "Mommy! We can put them in our beds so we can play before we sleep!" she squeals, and she and Emma jump up and down in excitement. I roll my eyes. "Oh, can you now?" he asks, and Ari and Em nod very seriously. I sigh, and nod, and Emma grabs Ariana's hand, as they run to their rooms, giggling.

Hanna walks in, Caleb in tow. "Hey, Spence. Are the girls in their room?" she asks. I smile happily. "Yup, probably playing with their new dolls. How was work?" I ask. She makes a face. "Mindy was sick everywhere, so they're sending her home for the next few days. I have nobody to gossip with, when you're at the diner and Caleb is doing illegal s***!" she complains. I laugh. Hanna works at the office in Vogue. She hasn't even written anything, just edited, but it's her dream. I work at the local diner, which pays surprisingly well, but I'm hoping to get a job as a kindergarten teacher next fall if everything goes well.

Emma skips into the room, coming up to me, knowing I give her most of what she wants, just like Hanna does for Ariana. "Auntie Spency? Can I _please_ bring two cookies into our room?" she asks. Hanna smirks, watching me try not to give in. "Um… why can't you eat them in here?" I ask cautiously. Emma pouts, "Because we want to get our dolls in the room settled, and we need to be in the room to do it." She explains. I know if I tell her she can get them settled after she eats, she'll probably listen, but we've each agreed that we discipline our own kids, and spoil our nieces. The system works pretty well. I smile at her. "Of _course_ you can eat in your room, Em." I says, and she hugs me, grabbing two cookies. "If I find any crumbs, that doll is gone for a week!" Hanna calls after her.

Toby's POV (same time, Rosewood)

"Em, Lily and Grace will be fine. Your mom knows what she's doing, and this is important. We always meet at the end of the month to see if we have any leads. Ali would back me up on this." I say over the phone from my small loft above the brew. I hear a sigh from the other line. "Toby, I know. I want to find them just as much as you do, but you do realise Spence might not be willing to listen. She still thinks you betrayed her, and Han and Caleb probably do as well." Em sighs. I pick up the picture I keep on my dresser no matter what, and look at her beautiful face. It's a week before our anniversary, and there's a light in her eyes as she looks at the camera. She's smiling, and my arms are around her shoulders. It's one of the many I have littered around the house.

 _Flashback_

 _I can't do this. I've been gone for a month. I need to find her and explain. To make things right. Mona sent he a video of her crying outside my loft, that night. I'd already skipped town. She told me to stay away, but I'm not listening to her anymore. I can't protect her if I'm in bucks county, clueless._

 _I pass the 'welcome to Rosewood' sign, and a few minutes later, pull up at her house. The door opens, and Melissa runs out, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. Emily and Aria are on the couch, arms wrapped around each other. Ezra is hovering in the background. Ashley and Veronica are embraced by Pam and Ella, Peter is in hushed conversation with Byron. "What's happening? Where's Spence?" I ask, now deathly scared._

" _Son, you should sit down." Peter says. Melissa walks over to Aria and Emily, who surprisingly hug her like they've known her since birth, crying together. Veronica sniffs, and Ashley whimpers, and Pam and Ella whisper comforting words to them. Peter places a piece of paper on my lap, and I cautiously open it._

 _Dearest Mom, dad, and Melissa._

 _I'm sorry it had to come to this. I really am. But, I have to leave. Forever. The past year has been hell, emotionally and physically, and I can't do it anymore. It's too hard. Hanna, Caleb, and I are leaving. Don't look for us. Please. Just know, I love you guys._

 _I wanted to keep fighting, but my rock disappeared. And I can't do anything without here. So, the only choice I have left is to move on. I'm sorry. But you guys will be better off without me. mom, Dad, you deserve better than a daughter who can't be perfect like you deserve. Melissa, I ruined your engagement and your marriage. I don't expect forgiveness, but know that I'm sorry. Toby… I love you. Aria and Emily, I can't be any help to you if I'm like this. You guys deserve so much better than me. Good luck. I can promise you'll never hear from me again._

 _You all need to forget about us. We can look after ourselves. I love you guys._

 _-Spencer Jill Hastings_

She kept her promise. 5 years later, and radio silence. She left behind anything that could be traced. She took her money, her clothes, her photo album, which only I knew about. Everything. It left me with next to nothing. But, I'm not going to listen to her. I will not stop looking. Ever.

Spencer's POV (2 days later)

"Spence! Spence, it happened! It finally happened!" Hanna runs into the diner, the DC rain soaking her, not that she cares. Ari and Em are on her heels, screaming in excitement even though they don't know what's going on. I lift Ari up, and she clambers onto the coulter I'm wiping. Emma sits on the stool, and Hanna takes Ari's boots off. I lift her up, and she screeches. "Mommy! Put me down!" she shouts. Caleb walks in, having parked the car. "Han! What happened? Good or bad?" I ask. She smiles. "Vogue! I'm finally writing an article for Vogue! About this new make-up store everybody's been talking about!" she exclaims.

I gasp, dropping the cloth I'm using to clean the counter. "Han! That's amazing! Okay, a double order of cheese fries to celebrate, on the house!" I announce, putting in the order. Hanna grins, and Caleb rolls his eyes. "Yu two are unbelievable." Hanna slaps his arm. "Um, excuse me! Vogue pays the highest wage for articles! If I do this right, then none of us will have to work for at least a month!" She exclaims. I give her a look. "No, if you do this right, it's all going into our account for food and basic needs, and you will probably get to do another one. We ae not blowing it on luxuries we can't afford." I chide. She sighs. "I know. I'm just excited. I mean, it's Vogue!" she squeals.

Xxx

"Mommy, can you tell me the story?" she asks again. I sigh. "Ari, why do you love it so much? It's a sad story." I say. She looks at me. "Because, it's a real story. Not like Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty. It's how you and Daddy fell in love. And how Auntie Hanna and Uncle Caleb fell in love. And I'm in the story!" she says, like it's obvious. "And there are princesses!" I laugh, and begin to speak.

"Once upon a time, there were 5 beautiful princesses, called Aria, Emily, Hanna, Spencer, and Alison. These princesses had everything they wanted, until one night, Princess Alison disappeared. An evil witch, named Mona, had forced her to run away. But, she was scared for the other four princess's safety. So, she was watching over them, making sure they didn't get into trouble. Now, Princess Spencer was very sad, along with Princess Hanna, because they didn't have anybody to love them like the others did. But then, Princess Hanna met Prince Caleb, and they fell in love instantly, and she became happy again. But, there was still Princess Spencer. She had nobody to love her, and take her pain away. That is, until she fell in love with Prince Toby."

"Then, everything was beautiful, and perfect. They temporarily defeated the Evil witch, and Mona was locked away in a dungeon. But, when she was let out, the Princesses were in danger again. Somewhere along the way, Because Princess Hanna and Prince Caleb loved each other very much, they made a beautiful Princess called Emma Addison Rivers. And, because Princess Spencer and Prince Toby loved each other very much, they made a wonderful Princess named Ariana Marion Cavanaugh. But, time and circumstance took Princess Spencer away from Prince Toby. She was distraught, and had no choice but to leave their kingdom with Princess Hanna and Prince Caleb, but then, things got better. The evil witch Mona was locked up again, this time for good, and Princess Alison was able to return to the kingdom, and the three remaining Princesses, whilst mourning for their lost friends, moved on, and ruled their land in piece. And they all lived happily, ever after." I finish.

"Auntie Spency, why doesn't Mommy ever tell the story?" Asks Emma. I smile. "Well, because Auntie Spency tells it the best. Mommy made the book on the top shelf, remember?" han explains, and Emma smiles, hugging her. Ariana looks troubled. "Ari, what's wrong?" I ask. She frowns. "Mommy, does daddy not love us?" she asks. I sigh. "Ari, daddy loves us very much." I lie. Hanna shoots me a sympathetic look. I take the book Hanna made, and sit on the chair between the two twin beds, where I sit when I read to them.

The book really is a work of art. Hanna got her friend Mindy from Vogue to help her stitch a pink velvet onto the cover, and printed on the inside is a picture of me and the girls together before Ali disappeared. She made it into a picture book, and each page has a different photo from before we left, excluding the pictures of Em and Ari we have as babies. They were born within a week of each other, Emma being slightly older. The last page has a picture of me holding a baby Ari, and Hanna holding a baby Em, Caleb's arm around her waist.

I bring it down when the time feels right, which I'll admit is not usually. Emma and Ari move closer, so they can see the pictures. "Emma, do you see this one? Well, that's Mommy with your daddy. And they looked at each other the same way that Auntie Hanna looks at Uncle Caleb. So, yes, daddy loves you very much. He just isn't here." I explain as best I can. I can't tell her how he betrayed me. I just can't. She's 4. If, by some miracle, she actually meets him, I want them to be able to have a healthy relationship. That can't happen if I tell her what he did to me. She'd hate him.

And I can't betray him like that when I still love him.

Toby's POV (1 month later)

Everybody's at Aria and Ezra's house, looking at colors for their baby's nursery. Aria's 6 months pregnant with a little boy, Noah. Emily has a pile of high end magazines, which she's looking through to see if there are any articles on babies, Alison has paint swatches and fabrics littered on the floor, Aria is sitting surrounded by quilts and pillows, whilst Ezra massages her swollen feet. She's having a lot of trouble with the pregnancy, and I can't help but feel bad for them.

I'm looking online for prices of cribs. Everybody's listening to some kind of earth music Aria has blasting through the speakers. I sigh. It's really _loud_. "Ar, I get that you're stressed, but can you please turn that down?" Em asks. Aria sighs, and the volume decreases. Thank god. "Okay, how do you guys feel about green and gray?" asks Ali. Aria shakes her head. "Nope, we need some blue. They're too light." She explains, and Alison bends her head down on her color options again.

"Oh my God!" Em shouts. Aria turns the music off, curious. I look up. "What?" she asks. Emily breathes, putting down her copy of Vogue. "That new chain store that opened up- there's an article about it." She says. I roll my eyes. "Em, it's great that you're interested, but it's kind of off topic." Ezra laughs. Emily looks shaky. "No, It's not the article. It's who it's written by. _Hanna Marin-Rivers_."

I'm on my feet instantly, scanning the page for the contact information. "Hanna Marin-Rivers moved to Washington DC 5 years ago with her husband, Caleb, and works for Vogue as an editor." I read out loud. I sigh. "Well. Who's up for a trip to DC?" I ask.

Hanna's POV

"Emma! You do not throw cookie mix at me!" I laugh, splatting her with icing. Spence giggles. "Well, you're being kind of hypocritical, han." She says. I roll my eyes. I get a cloth, and wipe Emma's face, as she giggles. Ariana is baking brownies with Spencer, and Caleb, Emma, and I are baking cookies. Well, Emma and I are baking cookies. Caleb is filming it. Idiot.

Ariana and Spencer finish, and clean up. "Mommy, can we go play dress-up now?" She asks. They start school in 11 months, so we're trying to make sure they have as much fun as possible before-hand. "Sure, baby girl. Just let Mommy clean up, okay?" Spencer says, and Ariana runs to the couch. Soon, we're all done, and playing dress-up. Caleb groans.

See, our version of dress-up is much better. Instead of us dressing up, we choose outfits for Caleb to dress up in, and he has to walk around in our favorite for the rest of the day. I choose a clown costume from Halloween that he said was stupid and over the top. Ariana chooses a Rapunzel dress. Emma closes flowery pants and a frilled shirt. Spencer chooses a pick princess dress.

"I vote Emma's choice." Spence declares. Caleb glares at her. I snicker. "Just be glad we're not making you wear Spence's choice. Seriously, she can be mean sometimes. Now go change!" I command.

Xxx

"Okay, Hanna. Your article from before was a huge success, so we want you to write one about how to stay in perfect style whilst pregnant. You have a young daughter, is that correct?" My boss, Stephanie, asks. "Yes, it is. And I'd love to." I say quickly. Stephanie smiles. "Okay, you are excused." She says, and I quickly leave.

When I get back to my desk, the intercom buzzes. I answer. "Yes, Gary?" I ask. He coughs. "Um, there are three girls who marched up to the front desk and demanded to know your address." He says. I choke on my juice. "Um… Gary, weird question, but are their names Emily, Aria, and Alison?" I ask. There's a pause. "I believe so. Why?" he asks. Shoot. "Uh, Gary, I need to make a quick phone call. Can you hold for 10?" I ask. "Sure?" he says, but it sounds more like a question. The line goes dead, and I whip my phone out.

"Han! How many times have I told you not to call me during my shift?" I ask. I don't bother apologising. "Spence, I'm not joking. Aria, Emily, and Alison are here. And I'm guessing they brought Ezra and Toby. It won't take them long to find you, you need to leave." I say. I hear her breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down.

"Okay, I'm on my way home. Call Caleb." She says. The line goes dead.

Toby's POV

I walk into the small diner, and head to the counter, Ezra in tow. We looked into it, and found Hanna's Instagram page. It had a picture of Spencer in here, wearing a uniform. We could only get her public page, which only had pictures of Spencer, Caleb, and a few people we don't know. But we figured she works here. I head up to a girl with blonde hair, chewing gum. "Hi, we're looking for a Spencer Hastings. We're… old friends." I say. She raises her eyebrows. "Well, Spencer never talks about her 'old friends', but you just missed her." I say. My heart sinks. "Okay, do you know why and where she left?" Ezra asks. The girl tilts her head to the side. "I do, but I don't know you guys. She doesn't like surprises." She shrugs, and goes back to writing something down on her yellow notepad.

I sigh. "Look, her name is Spencer Jill Hastings, her favorite color is blue, she is the most organised person you'll ever meet, her motto is 'Hope breeds eternal misery', her addiction to coffee is possibly dangerous, she hates it when people lie to her, she always wins an argument, she hates dogs but loves cats, she's double-jointed, she can be very secretive, but when she opens up, she's a total goofball, and _you need to tell me where she is_." I don't realise I'm crying until I stop speaking.

"Are you an ex-boyfriend or something?" The girl asks. I don't say anything. Ezra looks at her name badge. "Look, Crystal, do tell us where she is, don't tell us where she is. We will find her. But, at least tell us why she left, where she goes, etc." He pleads. Crystal sighs. "Look, I'm not telling you anything that could get her in danger. She's my friend. But, I can tell you why she left. Her friend Hanna called, she started freaking out about something, and told me to sign her into temporary leave, because she wouldn't be back until this whole thing blew over. She also told me if _anyone_ came in looking for her, to tell to leave her alone, and that she doesn't want to be hurt again. Does that mean anything to you?" Crystal asks. I hang my head. "If you see her again, tell her she doesn't know the whole story, and I love her." I say, before leaving the diner with Ezra.

Spencer's POV

"Mommy! You're back!" Ari shouts, and I hug her tightly. Caleb comes in with Emma. "Hanna called. You know it won't take them long to find us now." He says. I nod. Hanna walks in, throws her keys on the counter, and sags into Caleb's embrace. "I slipped out the back, but I think Ali saw me. I wouldn't be surprised if they followed us here. I get a text from Crystal.

 _Spence, I said what you told me. The one with the ombre and blue eyes said to tell you you don't know the whole story, and he loves you. Text back when you can._

 _XOX Crys_

"So, what now?" Hanna asks. I look up. "I'm tired of running. And Ari and Emma are 4. I say we hear then out." I say. Ari snuggles onto my lap. "Mommy, what's going on?" she asks. I kiss her forehead. "Don't worry about it. Mommy has to leave for a little to meet some old friends with Auntie Hanna, so Uncle Caleb will have to look after you and Emma on his own, so be good, okay?" I ask. She nods, and hugs me. Hanna's already in her coat, and hands me mine. I shrug it on, and compose a text, showing them both, and, once they nod, I press send.

Emily's POV

"Babe, we'll find them." Ali tells me, and I tuck my head into her shoulder. The guy who was on the phone for the past hour comes up to us. "You 3 should leave. Mrs. Marin-Rivers just called. She snuck out of the back and is on her way home. I'm not in a position to help you." He says. We sigh, and get up without a word.

Xxx

"Nothing?" Ezra asks. I shake my head. "Ditto." Toby says. Suddenly, all of our phones chime. We answer them, and Toby reads the text out loud.

"I know you're here, and I know what you want. But there's a lot you don't know. And I can't trust you guys with the knowledge. If you're serious, meet me and Hanna in the parking lot of Lindlewood Hotel, 5:30 pm. If you try and force us to come back with you, don't expect us to reach out again.

-Spencer"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I thought it would be a good time to post this! Since, the fanfic season (AKA Winter Vacation) Is almost up! Sad face.**

 **-Vivian**

Spencer's POV

"Caleb, we're almost there. How are they?" Han asks as we get there. I hear a muffled sound on the other end. "Thank god. You know Aria hates being separated from Spencer." She laughs. "Hanna! I love you like a sister and there are a lot of things I admire about you, but not here!" I hiss. She rolls her eyes. "Okay, got to go, Caleb. Love you. Bye." She hangs up, and we walk to the bench. I put my bag beside me, and pull out my phone. I text Crystal.

 _Hey, Crys._

 _Everything's under control, but I won't be back at work for a while. Can you cover my shifts?_

 _XOX Spence_

She texts back immediately, promising she'll cover them and pay me. I thank her, and say bye. "How long?" I ask. She checks her phone. "3 minutes." She says. "And we're agreed, don't tell them about?.." I trail off, and she nods. "And, if we have to leave suddenly, what do we say?" I ask. She thinks for a minute. "Um… code red?" she asks. I roll my eyes. "You know, what how about we just say we have to go?" I ask. She laughs tensely. "Okay, that works." A car stops in front of us, and I look subtly to where people I haven't seen in years are stepping out. "Incoming." I sigh. Hanna gulps.

Emily's POV

"Guys, over there." I say, gesturing to a bench at the end of the street. Toby stops for a second when he sees Spencer, but shakes it off and keeps walking. Spencer and Hanna don't look like they've changed much, apart from the fact that Hanna has hair more of a bleach blonde instead of golden, and Spencer has bangs. I grab Ali's hand, and she looks at me, a nervous smile on her face as she looks at the friends she hasn't seen in over 6 years.

We soon reach them, and they stand up. "I take it you got the message?" Hanna asks. Spencer looks at aria. "Oh my God, you're pregnant! Girl or boy?" she asks. Aria hugs her. "Boy. Noah." She grins, and Spencer and Hanna squeal. Alison looks down, and Spencer offers her a small smile. She gives a huge smile back.

"Spencer, I'm so sor-" Toby starts, but she holds her hand up. "I know. Don't apologise for something that made you happy." She says calmly, but I'm not fooled. I can see sadness in her eyes. Not just sadness. Longing. Love. Need. But, she was always good at hiding her emotions. Toby's eyes widen. "Spence, I swear, I did it to protect you." He says. She looks down. "Toby, I don't know if I can believe you. I need time." She says. Toby looks at her. "Spence, please." He says. I can tell she's trying not to cry, and so is he. Before they can go on, her phone rings.

Spencer's POV

I whip my phone out of my bag, glad for the distraction, or I'm pretty certain I would have started bawling my eyes out then and there. I walk to the other side of the street. And answer.

"Hello?" I ask. "Spence, I know this is terrible timing, but Ari's running a temperature." Caleb says, panicked. I pause. "How high?" I ask. Now he pauses. That's when I know it's bad. "Caleb freaking Rivers, how high?" I ask. I'm pretty sure they heard that part, and Hanna comes over. Caleb finally answers. "Um, 40." He mutters. My jaw drops. "Okay, we're on our way. Get her a cold compress." I instruct, and hang up. "Get who a cold compress?" Toby asks from behind me. I jump. "Um, a little boy Caleb's baby-sitting. He called to ask for help, so, Hanna and I are going to help." I say, starting to open the door. "Spencer, please, just give us a chance." I sigh. He's right.

"You have my number on your phone. Text me, we can figure out a time to meet _as a group_." I say, trying to sound firm, but my voice cracks at the end. "Now, we have to go." I say, and Hanna and I get in the car, slamming the doors, leaving our friends behind.

"Okay, so, what's the real story?" Hanna asks once she's sure the others won't hear. "Ari has a temperature of 40. I need to get to her." I say. Hanna puts her hand on my arm. "She'll be fine. We both will." I say. "God, I was _this_ close to making out with him right there, but I remembered what he did." I say. Hanna shoots me a sympathetic smile. "Next time, one word, and I announce the group meeting over, okay?" she asks. I nod.

We pull up, and I run up the lift to the apartment. Hanna's only a few steps behind. I unlock the door, and fling it open, running to Ari and Emma's room. I burst in, and she looks up. "Mommy!" she calls. I take her in my arms, and Hana comes in, followed by Caleb, who carries Emma with him. "I think it's food poisoning from the cookies. Emma's starting to burn up, too, and they're the only ones who ate them. We had the brownies." He explains. I look at the pink bowl by her bed. "Baby, how many times have you thrown up?" I ask. She holds up four fingers, because of the thermometer in her mouth. I sigh.

"Okay, you both need to stay in bed for a few days." I say. "No, Mommy, I'm fine!" Ari complains. I roll my eyes. "No, you're not, because you're just like me. I don't believe you inherited even one Cavanaugh gene, despite your parentage." I say, and she folds her arms. I kiss her forehead. "If it gets any worse, I'm taking you to the hospital, and Emma." I warn. Emma folds her arms. "Auntie Spency! I hate the hospital! They put needles in our arms, and it's scary!" She whines. I sigh. "Guys, you're going to have to trust us on this one. The hospital is important." I say.

Ari sighs, and I take the thermometer out of her mouth. 41.2. Not good. I show Hanna and Caleb, the latter of which goes to get 2 glasses of water. I push a strand of sweaty hair out of Ari's face, sighing.

Toby's POV

"Am I the only one who thought that phone call was super sketchy?" Aria asks, rubbing her swollen stomach. I shake my head. "No, you're not. For one, she said to give _her_ a cold compress, but said Caleb was babysitting a boy. And you know Spencer, she never gets things wrong. Also, she would just tell him to go to the hospital, instead of insisting on leaving, when she was the one who told us to meet her in the first place. Third, she seemed genuinely panicked, and she didn't see, but Hanna was practically shoving us away from the phone, so, she clearly knows what's up."

Alison sighs. "Well, it's not like we came thinking this would be easy. We all know she's not 17 anymore." She says. "I miss Lily and Grace." Em says. Aria laughs. "Mom's and their kids. Luckily, I got to bring mine with me." She grins. Something occurs to me, but I can't quite figure out what it is. I shrug it off.

"Maybe it's their only source of money, and they don't want to lose their payment for babysitting." Ezra suggests. I furrow my eyebrow. "The entire reason we found them is because Hanna works at vogue." I point out. Emily sighs. "Guys, we are literally picking at half a phone call. The kid probably has a sister who's also sick or something." She says. I sigh. "Well, if Spence was serious about meeting as a group again, we'll find out soon." I say.

Suddenly, Aria screams out in pain. We all look at her. "Guys, I think my water just broke!" She shouts.

Spencer's POV

"Okay, Emma's asleep, and Ari is getting there." I say. Hanna sighs, taking off her heels and slipping on some flats. Which she only ever does when one of the kids is sick. I start making some warm milk, and stir in cinnamon. I put it in Ari's favorite pink glass, which is obviously made of plastic, since she's 4. "If she can keep this down, we might not need to take them to the hospital for medicine. We all know how _that_ going to go." Hanna sighs. I roll my eyes. Emma and Ari hate taking pills. It's the only thing that sends them into full screaming mode. I wait till the milk is warm enough for Ari, and when I hear two little voices from the other room, I split it into two cups, making sure Ari gets her pink one, and Emma gets her blue one. I hand the blue one to Hanna who smiles. "Thanks." She says, and we head inside.

"Hey, we made magic milk." Hanna says. I laugh inside at her name. We've called it that for as long as I can remember. Emma's face lights up, and Ari claps her hands together. They have no idea what's in it, but the cinnamon makes it taste like it's some kind of rich spice. Which, it is. Technically.

They quickly drink it, and we take the cups away. I run up around an hour later when I hear the noise of puking upstairs. Hanna's holding Emma delicately as she empties the contents of her stomach into the bowl. I notice Ariana looking a shade of green too, and lift the bowl to her mouth for her to throw up into it. "Okay, girls. Get on your coats. We're going to the doctor." I say.

"Mommy, please no!" Ariana cries. I pick her up, and she starts screaming. "Ariana Marion Cavanaugh, we are taking you to the doctors, now stop wriggling, or you'll throw up again. I promise everything will be fine, and I won't leave your side." I promise. She sniffles, and snuggles into me. I carry her to the hall, and wrap her coat around her before doing my own. Hanna walks in, carrying Emma, who is frantically crying, and Caleb is getting things for whilst we wait, so the girls don't get bored, along with two bowels.

"No! Please, Mommy, the Hospital is scary!" Emma cries at Hanna, who sighs, putting on her coat. "Emma, we're going. Come on." Hanna says calmly. We leave, and from the corridor, out neighbor comes out. "Keep those brats quiet! If you knew what's good for then, you'd give them up for adoption, anyway. Then maybe you wouldn't be living in a tiny apartment." She hisses. I sigh, and ignre her as I walk past, carrying Ariana, but, my daughter starts to cry at the woman's words. She rolls her eyes. "Do you want to know the real reason why your _daddy_ isn't here? You were probably a mistake, and he had the sense to take off before he got dragged into it." Ari bawls louder, and the woman covers her ears. "Make her shut up!" she shouts. I set Ari on the floor, and whisper in her ear. "Ariana, I promise that woman is lying. But, can you please be a little quieter so I can talk to her?" I ask. And she controls her sobs so they becomes sniffles. I turn to the woman. "Insult my daughter again and I will cut your tongue out." I snarl.

Hanna puts her hand on my shoulder. "I'll help her. I don't know what makes you think you have the right to be a b**** to people who've never done anything to you, but that's not how life works. And for your information, she is not a mistake. She has a mother who loves her, and a devoted Aunt and Uncle, not to mention a cousin who is practically a sister." She hisses. The woman sneers. "well, I got her to shut up, so, goodnight." She closes the door behind her, and I pick Ariana up. "Baby, I promise, you are not a mistake. You were unexpected, but that does not make you a mistake. If she says anything to you, ignore her, because, don't tell her this, but she's a-" I'm interrupted by Hanna saying. "B****." "Hanna!" Caleb shouts.

"Okay, girls, do not repeat that word under any circumstances until you are 20." I say. Ari shrugs, and Emma looks confused. "What word? I was thinking about food." She says. I laugh. "It doesn't matter." Caleb tells her.

"Hanna, do not swear in front of them." I tell her. She rolls her eyes. "Fine!" She mutters. I let out a shaky laugh, and we head out to the car.

Xxx

"Okay, Miss. Hastings. Your daughter has food poisoning. It looks pretty nasty. I'd advise a kind of medicine that she can drink for this one." Mrs. Lune advises. I sigh in relief. "Thank god. She hates pills." I say. Mrs. Lune, the doctor, laughs. "Okay, bye!" I say, practically hysterical with relief. Last time she was given pills, she very nearly trashed the entire house.

"Ariana, we're going to meet Emma, Auntie Hanna, and Uncle Caleb." I say. She nods, and I take her hand, and she walks sheepishly to where their waiting. We pick up the medicine and give them a dose there, so they'll be able to sleep when we get home. "Okay, girls. Time to go and hopefully get some sleep!" Hanna grins.


	3. Chapter 3

Spencer's POV

Spencer's POV

"Okay, girls. You need to take the yummy medicine now!" Hanna tries, and Ariana, who despite being scarily smart for a 4-year-old, has mostly Toby's personality, sadly takes it. Emma kicks her legs. "No! Medicine is icky!" She complains, and I sigh. "Okay, Emma, it will only be in your mouth for a second, and then we can give you a cookie." I bribe. She shakes her head. "No!" She shouts. I exchange looks with Hanna, and sigh. Caleb is usually the one to deal with Emma in these situations, as he always knows what she wants. But he's out, doing 'illegal s***' as Hanna so eloquently puts it.

"Okay, Emma, this is the last time. Take the medicine or that new doll is gone for the rest of the week." Hanna threatens. She gives me a look, and I take Ariana's hand and lead her to the bedroom, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. "Emma will be up in a bit, okay?" I tell her, and she nods, turning over. "Mommy! Please read me the story!" She begs. I sigh, rolling my eyes. I reach up to the top of the wardrobe, and my hand slams onto wood. The book is gone. What?

"Hanna." I call. She looks up as I come in, and I see Emma has finally taken the medicine, and is making a face. "What?" she asks. I look through my bag. Nothing. "Hanna, the book fell out at the hospital. Of my bag." I say, panicking. She furrows her brows. "Okay, I can go get it." She says. I roll my eyes. "No, Hanna, because you know you don't have a licence." I say. She rolls her eyes. "Then _you_ go get it." She tells me, handing me the keys. I rush out of the house, and hope that I can find this book, because we all know the girls can't sleep without it.

Emily's POV

"Oh my god!" Aria screams as another contraction hits. I sigh. Ali looks sympathetic. "Babe, it's fine. The real pain is long gone by now." She says. Lily and Grace were born 2 years ago, when she came back and we found out she was pregnant when a man named Cyrus took advantage of her at a bar. We started dating, and I adopted them when they were born. But, watching Ali go through labor was unbearable. I can't imagine how Ezra is feeling.

I sigh. "God, when did life become so complicated? Sometimes I think it was easier when A was hounding down our backs." I complain. Ali laughs. "In many ways, it was." She agrees. I lean my head on her shoulder. "Do you think the girls will be okay with Mom?" I ask. She shoots me a look. "Babe, Pam loves them. They'll be spoiled brats by the time we get back home." She laughs, and I giggle.

Then, a hurricane rushes in, barely taking notice of her surroundings. "Wait, is that spencer?" Ali asks. Toby's head snaps up. "Spence!" I call, and she whips around, a panicked expression on her face. "Oh, hey. What are you all doing here?" She asks, but her voice sounds strained. "Aria's in labor!" Ali exclaims. Spencer's eyes widen. A doctor taps her shoulder. "Ms. Hastings, we were unable to find the book." He says, and he face falls.. "Uh, I should get going." She says when the doctor leaves. I furrow my brows. "Don't you want to see your nephew?" I ask. She looks sad for a moment, then shakes her head. "I have to go. I need to get home." She says. Toby looks like he wants to cry, and her eyes aren't much better. "Take care of yourselves. I'll reach out when I can." She says, before walking out.

Spencer's POV

"Mommy!" Ariana shouts as I enter. I pick her up in my arms. "hey, Ari-boo!" I say, and she giggles. "Mommy, I want to eat a cookie, but Aunty Hanna says I can't!" She whines. I sigh. "Well, if Aunty Hanna said it, what did you think was going to say, Ari?" I ask. She pouts, and I roll my eyes, and carry her back into her room, where Emma is already waiting for the story. "I couldn't find it." I Say, and Hanna and Caleb sigh. Emma grabs Ari's hand whilst they run to brush their teeth. "Guys, the others were at the hospital. Aria's in labor." I say quietly. Their mouths fall open. "What happened? Did they?..." I shake my head. "They don't know about the girls. I got out of there as soon as possible." I say. They sigh, and the others come in.

"Where is the book?" Ari asks. I tuck them in. "Well, it's gone right now, but we're going to have to go without it for a few days, but, I know the story off by heart anyway." I say. Emma sighs, and Ari sits on the bed. "well, so do I, and if you get it wrong, I'm going to be mad." She says. I laugh. "Only you, Ari-boo. Only you." I say.

Alison's POV

"Guys, I'm going to take a walk." I say, and Emily takes my hand. "I'm going too." She says. Toby nods. I feel bad about leaving him alone, but I can't take the waiting around. We walk to the other waiting room, and I pace up and down. Em puts her hand on my shoulder. "Ali, calm down. Everything's going to be fine." I say. She nods, and I kiss her deeply. "Ah!" She exclaims, falling down. I crouch to help her up.

"Hey, I rested my hand on this book instead of the table." She says, handing it to me. I look at it. "Wait, didn't Spence say she was looking for a book?" I ask. Em's eyes widen. "Maybe it's about what's happened to her since she left." She says. I look at it again.

It's pink velvet, and really pretty. There's something stitched onto the cover. "Once upon A time." I read. Em looks behind me. "Wait, this is about us. It's a kids fairy tale." She says. I flip it open and start to read. "Oh my God."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! I'm back! So, yeah, I don't usually do cliff-hangers, so, this was interesting. Also, I have a small rant. I love writing fanfic, but I also love reading it, but lately, people are not updating. And, I completely understand why, because everybody has lives outside of Fanfic, and I'm not angry, but if you're not going to be updating for a while, can you please say you're on a hiatus, because otherwise I'm sad every time I look for an updated story and find none. Anyway, I really don't want to seem rude or mean, I just wanted to say it.**

 **-Vivian**

Spencer's POV

"Is Emma down? Ari fell asleep 20 minutes ago." I ask Hanna. She nods. "Yeah, she asked for more cookies, but we all know she would have just puked them back up anyway." Hanna grins. I sigh. "God, worst timing ever. I mean, not only do we have everybody here, but, just as we decide to try and make it work with friendships, the girls get sick." I say. Caleb sighs. "Yeah, well, luck hasn't ever really been on our side, has it?" He says, kissing Hanna's forehead.

"Is it crazy of me to want to kiss Toby, but another part wants to slap him? I can't decide which part's stronger." I say. Hanna laughs. "Well, I'm up for both, but, if you want him slapped, call me, okay?" she asks. I snort. "I won't call you, because he will most likely end up dead if I do." I say, smiling. Caleb laughs. She playfully punches his side. "Am I that scary?" she asks. I smirk. "Only if somebody steals your shoes." I say. There's a knock on the door, and Caleb gets up. "If it's the pizza guy, I call dibs on the first slice!" Hanna calls.

He opens the door, and freezes. "What are you two doing here?" he asks. I look up, and wish I hadn't. "Em? Ali? What's wrong?" I ask. Ali looks down. "We found your book." She says. My heart drops to my stomach. "Did you tell Toby?" I ask, trying to remain calm. Em shakes her head, but before she can say anything else, I hear Ari puking from the other room.

I run into her room, and 4 sets of footsteps follow me. Ari's crouched over a bowl, and Emma doesn't look that great either. I sit my her, and hold back her sweaty hair as she dry heaves. "Oh my God, they are real." I hear Emily murmur. Ari hugs me when she's done, and I rub her back. "Ari-bean, it's time for your medicine now." I say. She takes the spoon, and winces at the flavor. "Is it that bad?" I ask. She nods. I sigh. "Okay, try and get back to sleep. I need to talk to some friends outside." I say. She nods. "Okay, Mommy." She whispers.

I shut the door to their room, and Emily crosses her arms. "How could you keep this from Toby?" she asks, clearly angry. I sigh. "I found out 2 days after our anniversary, Em. He was already gone." I explain. She looks down. "Oh." She whispers. "What's wrong with them?" Ali asks, concerned. "Emma and I made cookies. They got food poisoning." She explains. "And I thought Em's food was bad." Ali mutters, earning a glare from Emily.

"Thankyou… for not telling him. I want to when I'm ready." I explain. Em nods. "But you will tell him, right?" she asks. My head snaps up. "Of course I'm going to tell him." I say. We head to the couch. "What do they know?" Ali asks. "Only what's in the book. It was Spencer's idea." Hanna explains. Ali looks around the apartment, at the pictures of the girls when they were little, all the way to now. She stops when she sees the picture of as in high school, before she want missing. "You kept this?" she asks. I snort. "Of course we kept it." I say.

 _Flashback 4 years ago:_

" _Come on, Ariana. You need to sleep, and then I need to nurse you." I try to coax her, but she cries louder. Emma hears this, and starts to bawl too. I sigh. "Okay, that's it. Hanna, I need to use the chair!" I call. She immediately gets up, and Ariana stops crying as soon as I get her in the chair. We loaded it into the car as fast as possible before we left Rosewood, knowing I couldn't leave it behind. Ari loves that chair. I guess because it's the only thing we have left of Toby._

 _Caleb walks in, holding Emma. He always manages to get her to calm down, by dancing around the apartment with her in his arms. He hands her to Hanna, and turns of the television._

" _Missing teen Alison DiLaurentis alive and back in Rosewood with her friends" I nearly drop Ari._

" _She was alive the whole freaking time?!" Hanna exclaims._

Present day:

Alison smiles at us. "I have two nieces." She whispers to herself. Her phone rings. "Oh, God, Toby's calling!" she exclaims. "Um, say, you went to get some food for everybody and are stuck in traffic!" Hanna instructs. Ali nods, and goes to talk on the phone.

I hear talking from upstairs, and Ali wraps up the conversation. "Want to meet your nieces?" I ask. They nod eagerly. Caleb, Hanna, and I go in to get the girls. "Hey, guys. So, you know how you each have an Aunt as well as parents?" I ask. "Yeah, like you're Aunt Spency!" Emma shouts. I laugh. "Well, you actually have more Aunts, and two of them are down stairs waiting to meet you." Hanna says bluntly. I face palm. "Way to ease them into the idea, Hanna." Caleb mutters. She rolls her eyes. Ari grabs my hand, and looks nervous. "What if they hate me?" she asks. I help her out of her bed. "They won't. And if they do, it' their problem." I say.

Xxx

"So, Ariana, Emma, this is Aunt Ali and Aunt Em." I say. Emma's face lights up. "Like in the book!" she exclaims. Ali laughs. "Yeah, little bub. Just like in the book." She smiles, and Emma grabs her hand. "Play-blocks!" she shouts, running towards them. Ariana smiles shyly. "Hi." She murmurs. Em grins. "You don't have to say it. She's just like Toby in that sense." Em laughs, and kneels in front of Ari. "Hi, Ariana. We only have a few minutes to say hi before we have to leave, but do you want to play for those few minutes?" Em asks. Ari slowly nods, and Em takes her hand, leading her to where Emma and Ali are sitting. I walk to Hanna.

"I've just noticed." She says. "What?" I ask. She grins. "Their names are Em, Emma, Ali, and Ari. Is that not weird to you?" she asks. I scoff. "Only you would think of that, Hanna Banana. Only you." I mutter. She rolls her eyes. "Guys, you should go if you don't want to be suspicious. You can come back anytime." I say. They nod, and reluctantly leave Emma and Ari. Alison is just hugging Emma, when she gags, and throws up all over her shirt.

"God, I need to change! It'll be too suspicious!" she says. I shake my head. "No time, it'll take too long!" I say. "I'll clean you up when we get back to the hospital." Em promises. "Send me a picture of Noah!" I call. "Duh!" Em shouts, as she and Ali run out of the building.

Toby's POV

Em and Ali come in, happy expressions on their faces. "Where's the food? And why are you guys so excited? Wait, Ali, did somebody throw up on you?" I ask, completely confused. "Um, we turned around, the traffic was too bad. And, a kid puked on me." Ali says, then claps a hand over her mouth. I furrow my brow. "There are no kids in your car." I say. She looks like a deer caught in headlights. "She means when we got to the hospital." Em clarifies. I shrug. "Okay… well, Aria is now 7cm dilated." I say, and they hurry to clean themselves up, then sit down, looking awkward. When did they start hiding something?


	5. Chapter 5

Spencer's POV

"Hanna! I swear to god, if you don't stop stealing my food I will break your arm!" I say, laughing. She pouts. "You know you love me really, Spence." She mutters. I roll my eyes. "I also love when you let me eat in peace. This is my favorite." I say, taking a forkful of avocado salad. Ari and Emma are better, but still a little weak. But, they've stopped puking and are giggling from the room upstairs. "Okay, girls! Bed time in 20!" Caleb calls. "And don't try and wiggle out of it, especially you Emma!" I call. "God, l why did you get the kid who was good at going to sleep?" Hanna complains. I roll my eyes. "Emma is 100% Hanna genes. Blame yourself." I tell her, and huffs.

Xxx

"Okay, so, I've finished the article for Vogue, and I'm giving it in. Are you sure you want to come back here?" Hanna asks. I roll my eyes. "han, I can't hide from life just because my friends are back." I say. She sighs. "Okay. If anybody bothers you, call me, and I'll be there in 5 with a crowbar." She promises. I laugh. That is exactly why I won't be calling her.

"Crys! I'm back!" I say, after waving goodbye as she drives off. She looks up, and grins, hugging me. "You have no idea how hard it is to run this place without your crazy rules!" she exclaims. I roll my eyes. "Well, you seem to have managed fine." I say, grinning. She scoffs. "Please. Between Ryan and Clara and this job, I've been a wreck! You can't leave me here for that long again! I was about to die of stress!" she exclaims. Crystal is also a single Mom, and has twins, one boy and one girl. "Crys, I was gone for a week." I laugh. She folds her arms. "Spencer! Please, this place would fall apart without you!" she glares at me. I smile. "Well, I happen to be sticking around here for a while. You're a great friend, and I'm not about to let you and your two kids lose your job, okay?" I ask, and she smiles. "Thanks, Spence. Now, let's clean some tables!"

Hanna walks in, tapping away on her phone. "Hey, Han!" I smile. She gives a half-hearted wave, before continuing to text. Crystal snorts. I roll my eyes. "Where are the girls?" I ask. She shrugs. "Caleb's picking them up. I was swamped with work. They've given me 2 new articles." She explains. I laugh. "Which means, more money coming in to spoil our kids." I grin. Hanna smiles at me. "She looks up from her phone, and realises Crystal is there. "Crys! I haven't seen you in forever!" She grins. I roll my eyes. Crystal spends most of her time with her group of friends, which consists of 2 people, Andi and Freya. She's just very welcoming to everybody. When I first met her, I hated her guts for being so positive, but we warmed up to each other.

"Okay, I have to take Spence and we have to go, but, call me! I miss complaining about the joys of being a single parent with you!" Hanna calls, grabbing my hand and running out. I laugh. She didn't even give the poor girl a chance to respond.

Xxx

"Okay, please do not kill me." Hanna begs once we're driving. I roll my eyes. "Hanna Ashley Marin-Rivers, I will not kill you if you don't deserve it." I say. She gulps. I look up. "Wait, what did you do Hanna?" I ask, getting worried. "Aria, Emily, and Alison all called me today. They told Aria about the kids. She wants to meet them."

Aria's POV

"Remind me why we can't tell Toby and Ezra? Ezra is my husband, and one of these girls is Toby's kid!" I say, walking into the park Hanna told us to meet her at. Emily and Ali exchange looks. "Aria, I want to tell them. But, what do you think Spencer would do? She'd panic, take Ariana, and run. And, Toby would follow them. Then we'd be back to square one." Em explains. I sigh. She's right. I hate to admit it, but she's right. I look at Noah, who is asleep in his carrier.

He has a light layer of dark hair, and my eyes, although you can't see them when he's asleep. A car drives up, and two girls get out, one looking slightly ambushed. Spencer gasps when she sees Noah, and runs up, forgetting about being scared. "Aria! Oh my God, I'm so sorry I missed the birth! Can I please hold him?" she asks. I roll my eyes. "Of course you can, Spence!" I smile, handing her my son proudly. She gently takes him, and I'm not worried, because from what Ali and Em told me, she and Hanna have both had a lot of practice. Sure enough, her hands are strong enough to make sure she doesn't drop him, but still making sure he's comfortable, and doesn't hurt him. Something that's unmistakable. The hands of a mother.

Spencer's POV

I get back, and Ari and Emma are already asleep. I shuffle through the apartment like a zombie. Hanna and Caleb have gone on their weekly couple dinner. I cook some noodle soup, take a shower, and go to bed, pulling the covers around myself. I stare at the ceiling. I hear a light snoring coming from the open doors, the room across from us, and smile sadly. For once, they were asleep quickly. I roll over. We have a 5 room apartment, with Ari and Emma's room, my room, Hanna and Caleb's room, the dining room-family room, and a bathroom. I know when the girls get older, Hanna and Caleb will probably move out, taking Emma with them. Then, It'll just be me and Ariana. Toby will eventually give up. The girls will move on. Ariana will eventually move out, and who would want to visit me?

I'll have no one.

 _I see sunlight streaming through the bay windows. There's a big bed in the middle of a wall, and somebody moves inside it. I look closer. It's me. "Toby?!" She calls out. He comes into the room, and I look up, startled. He doesn't appear to see me. He grins. "Hey. Ari is downstairs eating breakfast. I thought I'd let you sleep, since it's Saturday." He explains, kissing her/me. She smiles. "When do you have to go to work?" she asks. He sighs. "2 hours. But, Ariana goes to school in 30 minutes. Aria is picking her up. So, once she's gone, we can curl up… play scrabble… watch that new French movie you've been talking about…" he smiles sweetly._

 _She/me giggles. "I'd love that." She smiles. Ariana runs into the room. "Mommy, you're awake! Daddy said I could get frozen yogurt with Emma, Lily, and Grace after school! Can I?" She asks. She/me laughs and nods. "Of course you can. Is Aunt Emmy coming with you?" She asks. Ariana nods. "I love our little family." She/me whispers once Ariana is picked up by a heavily pregnant Aria. Toby smiles. "I love you both too, more than you'll ever know."_

I wake up, and clutch the sheets. Just a dream. That's all it'll ever be. A dream. How my life could me if I wasn't dysfunctional. A life where I let myself fall, and took risks, knowing somebody, Toby, would be there to catch me every time. But he isn't. He never was. He was –A.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! It's been awhile. I'm sorry for not updating, I was having computer problems, but… I have a new one now, so everything is back on track! Enjoy the chapter, read and review, you know how it goes!**

 **-ViviAn**

Spencer's POV

I sigh, getting up, and wake up Ari. I didn't sleep at all since I had the dream in the middle of the night. Hanna and Caleb took Emma on a trip to New York for a couple of days, so it's just Ari and me. I dress her in a blue dress, white socks, and black Mary janes. She gulps down cereal, and I drink black coffee. "Momma? Can I try some?" she asks. I gulp. "Um, no. Maybe I'm deadly obsessed with this stuff, but if your father was right about anything, it's terrible for you." I say. She frowns. "Where is Daddy?" she asks. I sigh. We have this conversation a lot. "Sweetie, it's all in the book." I say, and she sighs. "But, _why_ did he have to leave?" she asks. I look down. "It's really complicated, I promise I'll tell you when I'm ready, but even I don't know the whole story. He does." She raises her eyebrows. "Then why don't you ask him?" she asks, sounding more like a 16-year-old than a 4-year-old. I nearly choke on my coffee.

"Because, it would be to hard. Trust me on this one, sweetie." I advise. She sighs, then nods. "Okay, Mommy. I trust you." She says. I kiss her forehead. My phone rings.

 **I'm sorry, Ezra was probing, I didn't want to risk our relationship.**

 **-Aria**

What? Ezra was probing?... she didn't.

 **Aria, I swear to God if you told him anything, I will never forgive you.**

 **-Spencer**

She takes a minute to reply.

 **Spence, I'M SORRY! Please, they'll be at yours soon, you deserve a warning.**

 **-Aria**

I slam the door on the table, and dial Hanna's number. She picks up after the first ring. "Hanna, I think Aria told Ezra, and…" I trail off. There's a pause of silence. "I'm packing. Caleb and Emma are booking a flight back. We can be there in an hour." She promises.

I sag into the couch, in tears, and Ari runs to me. "Momma! Why are you sad?" she asks. I sniff. "Ariana, when I go to answer the door, stay in your room until I come and get you, okay?" I ask. She nods, and hugs me. "What's wrong?" she asks. Before I can answer, there's a knock on the door. "Stay in your room, go!" I say, hugging her for one last second, before shrugging and skipping off to play with her toys.

There's another knock, and I open it, to see an apologetic looking Emily and Alison. "We tried to stop her, but she marched over to Ezra and told him everything. She didn't think he'd tell Toby." Emily explains. I bury my head in my hands. "How long?" I ask. They exchange looks. "They're outside. Ezra's angry, Toby hasn't said a word." She explains. I let out a small sob. "He's -A." I whisper. "I can't let my child near -A." I cry. She's about to say something, but is interrupted. "I'm not -A." a voice says. I whip around. "Sure, that's why I found you breaking into my house, looking for that stupid key?" I ask sarcastically.

He looks down. "It was after I cornered you about why you were scared. I went to find answers myself. I found out the game started again. And, I confronted Mona. She gave me two choices. Join the -A team… or watch you die. I couldn't do that. I love you." He whispers the last part. I collapse onto the ground, silent tears streaming down my face. It was real. He didn't lie. And I ruined everything. "I-I'm sorry. And I'm so stupid." I whisper the last part. He wraps his arm around me. "Can you guys give us a minute?" he asks, and footsteps leave.

"Spencer, never call yourself that again. And, I'm the one who ruined it. I should have told you, we could have figured it out together, I could have been in our child's life. It's my fault. I want to change that." He whispers. I cry onto his shoulder, and he helps me up, onto the couch. He sees a picture of me, showing a full pregnant stomach. He looks at it. "I'm so sorry." He whispers. I lean my forehead on his. "I'm the one who should be apologising." I murmur. I feel soft lips on mine, and suddenly the door opens, and Hanna bursts in. She gasps. "Spencer! What are you doing?" she asks. He holds his hands up. "I'm not -A. Mona threatened me with Spencer's life." He says. She drops the saucepan she's grabbed in haste.

"I really need to teach you how to defend yourself. First a pink furry lamp, now a saucepan? One of these days you're going to die." I say. She rolls her eyes. "Sure. I'm giving you guys… space." She says, closing the door behind her. I look at Toby. "We need to take things slow." I says, and he nods. "Okay. Sure. Whatever you want. I just want to make things-" I clamp my hand over his mouth. "Do not keep talking over and over, Toby." I offer a small smile, before getting up. "Where are you going?" He wines. I sigh. "To get our daughter."

 **Short, I know! DO NOT KILL ME!**


	7. Chapter 7

Heyyyyyy. Here's the new chapter for all of you guys! Also, it's short once again, I have writers block. Sorry!

-Vivian

Spencer's POV

"Ari? Ari, why are you in the closet?" I ask. She holds up a toy sword, which is completely stuffed with cotton. "You said don't come out until you get me. You were scared." She explains, and I smile, taking e sword from her hands. "I was panicked, I wasn't scared." I explain, and she frowns. "Oh." She murmurs. I grin. "Hey, we're going to go meet somebody, okay?" I ask, and she nods. "Mkay." She says, and I swing her over my shoulder. "Mommy!" She huffs.

I grin at her, before setting her down, and grabbing her hand. We walk to the couch, and Toby is sitting there, fiddling with his fingers awkwardly. "Toby." I say, and he turns around. I give him a small smile, and Ariana bounds forward. "Mommy said I can play with my American girl doll if I do the chores, but she doesn't believe that I did them." She says. "Ari!" I exclaim. Toby looks bewildered. "D-did you?" He asks. I face plant. "Don't crowd him, Ari. Let him breathe." I chide, and she rolls her eyes, before flopping onto the couch with a sour expression on her face.

Toby looks at the floor. "I'm sorry, I should have planned this before going straight in and saying you could introduce her. I mean, everything's happening so fast." I exclaim. Toby touches my shoulder. "Just introduce me as a friend who's going to be around a lot. For now." He says. I slowly nod. "Ari, this is Mommy's friend, Toby." I explain. She raises her eyebrow. "Why is he the colour of a tomato?" She asks. I shake my head in mock exasperation. "He's just a little stressed." I explain. She shrugs. "Okay. Can I play now?" She asks, swinging her legs. I sigh, nodding. "Sure, Ari." I smile.

Xxx

Hanna, Em and Ali, and Aria walk in. They all hug me, apart from Aria, who I cross my arms at. "What? Why are you looking at me like I killed somebody?" She asks. I raise my eyebrow. "You're telling em you don't remember telling Ezra the one thing I asked you not to tell after I've kept so many secrets for you?" I ask. She rolls her eyes. "Spencer, my relationship was on the line." She defends. I scoff. "I have, on multiple occasions, ruined my relationships for you! And all you have ever done is talk about Ezra, put Ezra before your friends, obsess about Ezra." I glare at her, and she gulps. "He's my husband." She defends. I roll my eyes. "Well, if he loves you, he wouldn't be angry at you for keeping your friend a secret." I say, glaring.

She sighs. "Okay, I get it, you're mad. But just because you ran away from your problems, do not blame me for your selfishness." She sneers. I cross my arms. "I wanted my kid safe! At the time, I thought Toby was A! You try having your rock ripped out from under you, and see how you feel. If I'd stayed, I would have ended up in Radley, for sure." I defend. She scoffs. "And it's my fault you're mentally unstable?" I ask, raising her voice. My mouth drops open, and she realises what she's said. "Spence, I-" she starts, but I interrupt her. "Just go." I say quietly. She starts to protest, but a hand wraps around my shoulder. "Go, Aria. Now." Toby glares at her, and she sighs, nodding. She leaves, Ezra and Noah close behind her.


End file.
